


WHO GAVE WHAT?

by orphan_account



Series: Gifts from the Heart [8]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Love, Minor Character Death, Old Friends, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 20:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5798635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Inquisitor's memories have unraveled and now she must set things right. Everything seems to be getting better until something changes everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	WHO GAVE WHAT?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> Hope you like Part 8 of The Gift of Giving.
> 
> I'm trying to write a new part everyday but I am going back to school in 5 days so some may be delayed.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated greatly :)  
> Thanks,  
> Missjapplez

WHO GAVE WHAT?  
  
Cullen stood in shock as he watched the Inquisitor stare at him, her mouth gaping open. Cullen rubbed the back of his neck nervously but didn’t take his gaze away from hers. _Is something wrong?_ He thought to himself, _is she ok?_

“Inquisitor?” he said, concern etching his features. At his words, he saw her close her mouth and move closer to him – so close that if he opened his mouth, their lips would surely touch.  
“Cullen.” She said, breathlessly. He felt heat rise to his face and couldn’t move; her lips had grazed his and she’d said in name in a way that made his mind run wild.   
“It was a lie.” She said suddenly, looking at his lips, “It was all a lie.” Cullen was taken aback; what was she talking about?”

“Inquisi-” he started to say but was speechless when she embraced him, warmth flooding his body. Her arms wrapped around his back tightly and she sobbed into the crook of his neck.   
Completely gobsmacked, Cullen slowly embraced her back and stroked her hair; he didn’t know what was happening but if she needed him, he would be there for her, just like right now.  
He heard her try to speak into his neck but her voice was muffled. He couldn’t fight his curiosity any longer once her felt cold tears fall onto his neck.  
“Inquisitor,” he said, pulling her away from him so she faced him. He continued, “What was all a lie?” He saw her bottom lip tremble and it made his heart ache.   
“She made me do it all those years ago, Cullen.” She said, more tears falling from her beautiful pearl eyes. He nodded his head as he finally understood; their breakup – Dalish made her leave him all those years ago… it hadn’t been because he wasn’t enough.

He pulled her back close to him again and cooed to her as she sobbed. He’d never felt anything like she must be going through, he didn’t think anyone could; she’d been tricked into leaving someone she’d cared about, she’d been forced to ‘love’ another and had had a child with him only to discover she’d never felt like that. Suddenly, when Cullen thought about Bull and empathy flooded through him; he knew exactly how it felt to have someone choose another over you. No, he didn’t know if Phoenix was going to come back to him, she’d said she’d been forced to leave him but that didn’t mean she stilled loved him.

He felt his eyes coated with unshed tears at more pain ripped through his body; he son. _What would happen? Would she go back to Bull for the sake of her son and live unhappily forever?_ He shuddered at the thought of her being miserable her whole life.

  
***

  
Even though Cullen was holding Phoenix in her arms, reassuring her, she didn’t feel any better. Archard, Bull… how many more people would be hurt because of her feelings? She loved Cullen, loved him with every fibre of her being, and Archard was her son, her world, her new purpose for existing but Bull. She had to tell Bull, she’d deceived him into thinking she loved him even if it hadn’t been on purpose, but it didn’t matter – he deserved the truth.

She pulled away from Cullen and he wiped her tears away, she felt warmth flood through her body at the contact. She hadn’t told Cullen directly that she loved him but surely he knew? He had to.   
His hand rested on her cheek as her tears stopped falling and she leaned into his touch. He was a good man, she told herself; she couldn’t believe he was still helping her after all she had done and a voice in the back of her mind whispered to her but she couldn’t answer it right now. She had to go – now.

“Please,” she said, gesturing to Archard, “will you take care of him? I have some things I must do.” He smiled at her, nodding, but this time his smile was gentle. She quickly hugged him again before racing down stairs.

*

  
She didn’t stop when Varric called to her near the entrance to the Great Hall, she had to find him. “If I were Bull, where would I be?” she muttered to herself as she raced down the stone stairs to the court yard. She stopped and rubbed her forehead, she needed to calm down, she _knew_ Bull - she could find him.   
“THE TAVERN!” she said aloud, starting to make her way to the Herald’s rest. She was just about in the door when she collided with the charger, Stitches. She fell back onto the ground, her butt aching. She saw Stitches mouth the word sorry then starting the run with an arm full of healing potions.   
“Stitches?” she said as he ran to the main gates. She quickly scoped the tavern and with no sign of Bull, ran after Stitches.

She followed him through and out of a main gate and down the road to Skyhold, where she finally saw him stop. She drew in a sharp breath as she watched a crowd gathered around one of the pine trees lining the road. Through the crowd, she could see most of the chargers. _What’s happened?_ She thought, unease flooding through her. She slowly made her way to and through the crowd, gasps flooding her ears. Finally, after asking the last person to move she found Bull weeping on the ground, a body cradled in his arms.

“No…” she said as she walked closer to Bull. “No!” she said again as she saw the body’s face.  
“KREM!” she said, falling to the ground beside Bull, running her hands over the wound. Her vision blurred and she didn’t fight the sobs that came out of her. She looked to Bull and saw his lip trembling. She didn’t know what to do; Bull had loved Krem like a second son and now… he was gone.   
“I’m sorry Bull,” she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, “I- I’m so s-sorry!” She rested her head on his thick shoulder and when he didn’t shake her off, she wrapped her arms around him. 


End file.
